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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25574128">Hearts Beating Together</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/batgirl856/pseuds/batgirl856'>batgirl856</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DCU (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Jason Todd is a good boyfriend, Nightmares, Panic Attack, Random - Freeform, Sleep Paralysis, kinda angsty, late night comfort, this came to me in a dream</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:55:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,739</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25574128</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/batgirl856/pseuds/batgirl856</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She was content just with little things like this. Being there for each other. Moments like this, just sitting, listening to the sound of each other's breathing. His heart and hers, beating together.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Barbara Gordon/Jason Todd</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She couldn't move. Barbara Gordon couldn't move her legs, or anything else for that matter. She was stuck, watching. Watching him.</p><p>"Wow, that looked like it really hurt." The clown grinned, and swung the crowbar once more. Barbara cringed at the sound of metal making contact with bone. "Whoop, now hang on, that looked like it hurt a lot more." The madman tapped the crowbar in his hands. "Let's clear this up, okay pumpkin? What hurts more: A, or B? Forehand, or backhand?"</p><p>As the Joker continued to beat young Jason to a bloody pulp, Barbara felt herself falling. It was cold and clammy, but the air around her burned at the same time, refusing to let her breathe. It felt as if a trillion tiny needles were pricking her skin all at once.</p><p> Then she heard it, the gunshot. She heard it clear as day. Tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over the sides of her face as a pool of blood formed beneath her. She tried to cry out, to call for help, but she couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.</p><p>Barb's eyes shot open as she bolted up, accidentally headbutting Jason with an "Ow."</p><p>She tried to say sorry, but she was hyperventilating. Desperately gasping for air, but failing to get any. Her lungs felt tight as her vision went spotty, as if she were going to pass out. More tears began to spill from her eyelids, wetting her cheeks and blanket. It was cold and bitter all around, but then there was warmth.</p><p>"Hey," she heard a voice. Jason. It was Jason. He grabbed her face in his hands, thumbs wiping away her tears. "Hey, look at me. Focus on my voice, okay?" His voice cracked with worry. "I'm going to count down from 10, try to count with me okay? Just breathe slowly."</p><p>She tried to do what he said, pausing her breath before shakily inhaling and exhaling with a choked off sob. "Ten... nine...eight...seven..." She heard the sound of his voice, and tried to follow along with the numbers. Barbara felt the warmth on her cheeks where his hands were, stroking her face which was now covered in crusted tear streaks.</p><p>"S-s-six," she tried to say, curling up in a ball. She looked so small and fragile, Jason didn't know what to do. He'd never seen this side of her. Sure, they both had nightmares frequently, but he had never seen her so shaken up. "F-fi-five," Barbara continued, struggling with the words.</p><p>"You're doing good, just keep counting for me. Okay?" He spoke slowly and calmly with an even voice. He puller her up into his lap as she nodded, trying to control her breathing. "You're gonna be okay, Barbie. I'm here now."</p><p>"F-four, t-th-three, t-two, one." Barbara finished counting, the sound of her breathing finally returning to normal. With her cradled against his chest, Jason slowly rocked back and forth, further calming her. They both took deep breaths, steadily breathing in and out.</p><p>She was content just with little things like this. Being there for each other. Moments like this, just sitting, listening to the sound of each other's breathing. His heart and hers, beating together.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Injury</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jason sped off on his motorcycle, engine roaring as he rode down the street. He had just stopped a drug trade, and was planning to take the rest of the night off sitting in his messy apartment. Instead, he found himself heading towards the Burnside district, even though it was a huge detour.</p>
<p>He found her in a warehouse, fighting a couple of common goons. From their attire, he could assume they were working for Penguin. There were crates filled with who knows what, so Jason assumed that it was some kind of illegal trade like the one he had just stopped about an hour ago. He began to ponder how he hadn't heard about it and she had, but a sharp crack rang out and he refocused on Barbara.</p>
<p>She was beauty. She was grace. She was punching Penguin's goons in the face. She was flying, soaring, leaping. She was Batgirl.</p>
<p>Jason watched her fight, though it looked less like fighting and more like an intricate and strategic dance. Barbara seem to float, roundhouse kicking one guy in the side before using the momentum to fling her fist into another's face. She then spun, elbow crashing into the last man's head, effectively knocking him out.</p>
<p>As he jumped down from his perch, Jason contemplated sneaking up on her but decided it wasn't worth the surprised foot to the face. As he landed behind her, he allowed a small <i>thump</i> before clearing his throat to alert her of his presence. "Hey Batsie."</p>
<p>"Hood," she acknowledged. "You here to help or harm?"</p>
<p>He scoffed. "I'd never hurt you. On purpose, at least."</p>
<p>"I know that," she turned around and rolled her eyes, smiling. "I meant are you going to be helpful or distract me?"</p>
<p>Jason took a step closer, crossing his arms and smirking under his hood. "Can I do both?"</p>
<p>"Whatever," she shrugged and took off running. He followed after her as they ran deeper into the warehouse. They came to a stop outside a door, and voices could be heard.</p>
<p>"I'm assuming this was a trade off of some kind, and since it's Cobblepot, I'm guessing guns," Jason whispered. Barbara nodded, moving to the right of the door and signalling for him to go on the left.</p>
<p>In one smooth motion, Batgirl kicked the door open, threw two batarangs which knocked the guns out of two people's hands, ducked gunfire, and rolled to the ground, sweeping another guy's legs out from under him. Jason watched in awe, firing a few rounds of rubber bullets at the small group positioned around the table.</p>
<p>"Cover me!" Babs hollered. She jumped up on the table, then leapt up and pushed off from one lady's head to get to the large crates. Jason knocked out the remaining goons, but most of the bosses escaped.</p>
<p>Figuring they were knocked out for good, Jason left the goons and ran outside to see if he could catch any of the bosses running away. Barbara rifled through the crates, looking for the hi-tech guns that were supposed to be shipped out before she stepped in. With her back turned, Barbara didn't notice one of the guys waking up until it was too late. </p>
<p>The knife pierced the flesh of her upper thigh, going straight through her leg. She cried out in pain as she was knocked to the ground. The thug towered over her, gun in hand as she attempted to stand and fight. With her good leg, she kicked him between the legs and stood, swaying a little before charging him. The guy had a quick recovery and was able to shoot her to the left of her upper abdomen, causing her to collapse to the ground.</p>
<p>Jason hadn't heard her cry out the first time, but the second cry was hard to miss. The shot rang loudly in his ears, causing him to kick into high gear. Jason dashed in the room, drawing a gun from his back. The one with <i>lethal</i> bullets.</p>
<p>"Don't!" Barbara yelled, albeit a bit weakly. Jason ignored her and shot the guy through the head anyway before collapsing to his knees at her side. He sliced off two long strips of her cape with his knife, tying one of them tight above her stab wound. The other strip was pushed into the bullet hole with two fingers, clotting up the blood she was losing.</p>
<p>"Shit," Jason muttered, gently lifting her up bridal style.  "Gotta take you back to the cave."</p>
<p>"Jay did you–did you kill that guy?" she asked softly.</p>
<p>"Don't worry 'bout that right now, Barbie." Holding her tight to his chest, he began to run out of the warehouse and down the alley he parked his motorcycle in. He situated her so she could be comfortable but not open her wounds further. </p>
<p>"If you feel like dozing off just squeeze, okay?" Jason said, taking her arms and wrapping them around his torso. "I need you to stay awake."</p>
<p>"M'kay." She rested her head on his back, clasping her hands together over his abs.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Now he was sitting in an uncomfortable chair in the medbay at the cave, next to the bed she was asleep in. Alfred came up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.</p>
<p>"You don't have to stay, Master Jason. I'll take good care of her," the Brit said with a warm tone.</p>
<p>"I'm fine, Al. You go get some rest," Jason replied, shaking his head. As the old butler's footsteps receded, Jason took Barbara's hand in his own, brushing his lips against her knuckles. He chastised himself for leaving her, he was supposed to watch her back.</p>
<p>As if she could feel her other half's worry, Barbara woke up. She sat up and moved her hand to cup his face, bringing it closer so she could rest her forehead against his. "Jay, I know what you're thinking, but it isn't your fault."</p>
<p>"Yeah. It is," he said, solemn.</p>
<p>"It's not," she said firmly, "I'll be fine, I promise." She captured his lips gently, trying to alleviate any lingering concern.</p>
<p>He broke the kiss, eyes shifting downcast. "I should've been there."</p>
<p>"You're here now," she rebuttals, scooting over and patting the spot next to her. He reluctantly kicked off his shoes and sat on the thin mattress, stretching his legs out in front of him and wrapping his arm around his girl. She tucked herself into his side, head resting against his chest. "Why did you kill that guy earlier?"</p>
<p>Jason opened his mouth to make up an excuse, but she cut him off.</p>
<p>"You are not bullshitting yourself out of this one, Todd." She sounded...less mad than he thought she would be, maybe even a little amused. Maybe it was the meds mellowing her out.</p>
<p>"Can we talk about that later?" he tried.</p>
<p>"Hmm, fine. But you do know B is gonna find out, right? And he'll be pissed."</p>
<p>"Whatever. I'll be fine as long as you, my knight in shining armor is there to save me," he joked, and she left it at that for now.</p>
<p>Eventually, they fall asleep, and nothing but the sound of the heart monitor beeping steadily can be heard.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Feel free to drop a prompt in the comments, I have absolutely no creativity whatsoever.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay, this was kinda short, but I didn't actually want it to be long either. Hope you enjoyed this short little piece, because it's easier than longer stuff for me. Feel free to leave constructive criticism/comments!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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